Today's personal computer user interfaces (UI), such as that implemented in the “Windows 95” Operating System produced by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., are designed for optimum interaction with the user (end-user) operating in close proximity to the computer and monitor. One might refer to this as a “two-foot user interface” (2′UI) since the user interacts approximately within two feet of the computer, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. This design makes it impractical to interact with the computer from a longer distance.
In contrast, a television (TV) is often viewed at a distance, or from across a room. But a typical 2′UI, with its small text and small icons, could not be used to operate a computer from a commensurate distance. A computer equipped with a Distance User Interface (DUI) could be so operated. Accordingly, one practical application in the technical arts of the present invention is providing for the operation of a computer at a television-viewing distance by providing a DUI.
Interaction with Personal Computers (PCs) can be extended into entertainment centerpieces. Although the PC can be the center of productivity in most homes, no longer are computers being used to merely write a letter or create a spreadsheet. As important as such functions are, there is a growing demand to move the computer from the office to the living room because of its entertainment-providing potential. To share media content such as digital photographs and digitized videos, people must huddle around a computer running a 2′UI operated by a user in close proximity. There exists a problem with easily accessing media content stored on a computer. Such a problem can be solved by providing a DUI, which can be comfortably viewed and easily used to operate the computer from a distance, approximately equal to a television-viewing distance. With a new, easy-to-navigate user interface and a simple remote control, users will have a more relaxed way to enjoy their music, videos and photos with friends and family from their PC.
Previous attempts have been made to create a computer distance-viewing experience. For instance, couplings and adapters exist whereby the output from a computer can be displayed on a conventional, large television or large plasma display device. This attempt, however, does not address the operability of the user interface. Rather, it merely makes a 2′UI bigger. A larger 2′UI does not offer the advantages of the DUI disclosed by the present invention, such as the ease of operation from a distance with a remote control device.
There exists a need for a distance user interface, which can provide the ability to operate a computer from across a room, or at a distance commensurate with a television-viewing distance for a TV similar in size to a chosen display.